June 30, 2008

At an event [last] week in New Mexico, Obama repeated the misleading claim that "women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men," and dismissed the notion that factors other than discrimination explain the wage gap as "just totally wrong.

Democrat Barack Obama, determined to win over female voters, talked Monday about the women who helped shape his life in arguing that he would be a better proponent of equal pay than Republican John McCain.

The presumed Democratic nominee toured a baking facility and chatted with female workers about their economic challenges.

Sen. Obama told how he was raised by a single mother and his grandmother, who made sacrifices to support their family. He told them that Sen. McCain opposed legislation earlier this year that would have made it easier for women to sue their employers for pay discrimination. Obama supported the bill.

"I'll continue to stand up for equal pay as president  Senator McCain won't, and that's a real difference in this election," Obama said.

7
Does that mean if I fire every male in my companies payroll, and replace them with women, I can lower my payroll expenses 30%??

Hot damn, when can I start?

Posted by: Techie at June 30, 2008 12:19 PM (NsGcd)

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Oprah owns the production company, so she'll have to pay herself less. It's only fair.

Posted by: Huusker at June 30, 2008 12:22 PM (bD3TN)

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I find it bullshit as that issue was addressed in the 60's! Yes it still exist somewhat but nowhere near the range of 76 or 77 cents for every dollar. It's always been a topic in every political science book that talks about the American Government system. Maybe Obama's been reading up on how the American government works? That's the most logical conclusion I can come up with regarding why he pulled this shit out of nowhere.

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I'll never understand candidates running as congressmen. Here's what laws I'll propose and pass if president! Hey, why don't you DO IT NOW WHILE YOU'RE IN CONGRESS? These guys act like the president has the power to make reality shift and force congress to do their will. Run for president, not congress you knuckleheads.

1. More often than not, the various figures showing women earning significantly less than men are based upon the communistic idea of "comparable worth". Sorry, but demand for secretaries and office assistants (predominantly female) and demand for truck drivers and construction workers (predominantly male) will be driven by different market forces, no matter what your social(ist) "scientist" claims about "comparable worth".

2. Never does there seem to be there any quantifiable proof of systematic wage discrimination for a man and a woman, at the same skill level, with the same level of seniority, in the same rank.

3. Ah, but over time, men still out-earn women because they attain a higher skill level, seniority and rank, whines the feminist meta-narrative. Well, there is a very good reason for this, and it is spelled C-H-I-L-D-R-E-N. A woman typically does drop out of the work force at least for a short time to birth, nurse, and above all raise children. Meanwhile, her husband, if he's any good, works all the harder to provide for his family. And this is a good thing. How perverted the feminist (leftover communist) meta-narrative to demonize a husband who does the right thing and works harder for his wife and children.

Now is there anything wrong with incredibly hard working or professional women? Hell no; I was raised by one. And child rearing isn't for everyone, there is nothing wrong with a woman who decides to forego children and focus entirely on becoming a captain of industry or a Nobel scientist, if that is what she really wishes. More power to her.

But the realities are that men will tend to at least slightly predominate in certain fields, for the aforementioned reason.

The linked article discusses it a little but folks inthe field of evolutionary psychology have known for a long time why women don't make as much money. They don't want to! This may sound strange but there is more to life's choices than money, and women have important interests in things that are not conducive to the highest income. Reproductive success always comes first, influencing everything we do, even when we consciously do not desire children.

A very good introductory volumeto the field is 'Why Do Beautiful People Have More Daughters?'

I hate to say this, but women make less money than men on average than men do I believe because men are more willing and perhaps beter able to do some dangerous and nasty jobs that most women don't want to do or are not physically capable of doing (I know I personally would not even want to work in a job where I was subjected to the elements to be honest, but that's just me).

You have to pay more money to people to do things that are dangerous, or unpleasant. You also have to pay more money to people to do things that require a lot of skill amd training (in many areas such as law or medicine, women can compete with men and may even have an advantage).Supply and demand.